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SDE3 encodes an RNA helicase required for post‐transcriptional gene silencing in Arabidopsis
Author(s) -
Dalmay Tamas,
Horsefield Rob,
Braunstein Thomas Hartig,
Baulcombe David C.
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
the embo journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 7.484
H-Index - 392
eISSN - 1460-2075
pISSN - 0261-4189
DOI - 10.1093/emboj/20.8.2069
Subject(s) - biology , arabidopsis , gene , genetics , rna helicase a , gene silencing , rna , rna silencing , transgene , rna interference , caenorhabditis elegans , microbiology and biotechnology , helicase , mutant
Post‐transcriptional gene silencing (PTGS) provides protection in plants against virus infection and can suppress expression of transgenes. Arabidopsis plants carrying mutations at the SDE3 locus are defective in PTGS mediated by a green fluorescent protein transgene. However, PTGS mediated by tobacco rattle virus (TRV) was not affected by sde3 . From these results we conclude that SDE3 , like the previously described RNA polymerase encoded by SDE1 , acts at a stage in the mechanism that is circumvented when PTGS is mediated by TRV. The product of SDE3 is similar to RNA helicase‐like proteins including GB110 in mouse and other proteins in Drosophila and humans. These proteins are similar to, but clearly distinct from Upf1p and SMG‐2, which are required for nonsense‐mediated mRNA decay in yeast and Caenorhabditis elegans and, in the case of SMG‐2, for PTGS.